Sunday, May 4, 2014

Duggar Girls Courtship Jim Bob and Michelle

In a former life, I think I was a 1950's, white housewife who loved to stay at home and keep house without a hint of bitterness or remorse. The closest thing modern times has to a 1950's housewife is Michelle Duggar from the TLC program 19 Kids And Counting which is why the program speaks to me like a whisper on the wind.

Michelle and her husband Jim Bob are Christians who follow the universal principles of a man named Bill Gothard. He is the founder of The Institute in Basic Life Principles. I am not saying I want to follow this dude's teachings. I don't really want to be a 1950's housewife, either but I do like to live vicariously through the Duggars and imagine that I am a homeschooling mom who has a tank of happy gas hidden in a private place because she is always even keeled and smiling.


Duggar family with daughter in law and grandchild



Here are another five reasons I heart the Duggars:


1) The Duggar kids "date with a purpose" which means they go through a period called a courtship where they talk and share bible verses for a spell then decide they want to enter into a courtship which means they go out on chaperoned dates with the intention of marriage. Their physical contact is restricted to "side hugging" (no full frontal) and they save holding hands for engagement and their first kiss for the wedding day.

**Life would be so much easier if teenagers didn't have to deal with "you show me yours and I'll show you mine." Their young minds can't handle the emotional physical combo. Fortunately, no one wanted to date me in high school so I didn't have to deal with it. If I had to deal with it then, I would have been a hot mess. I could barely handle it in my twenties and thirties. I want my girls to focus on themselves in high school years and worry about dating later. I plan to raise my daughters this way as soon as I can convince my husband it's not "unrealistic and ridiculous."

2) Michelle Duggar gives good parenting advice. She recommends you whisper to your child when angry as opposed to shout. She gives her toddlers small chores like folding laundry and putting their toys away. They actually do it because she practices obedience training which trains her kids to obey their elders and older siblings immediately. When my kids don't listen and I am ready to release a war cry for the ages, I think, "What would Michelle Duggar do?" then usually can't remember because I'm too stinkin' mad.

**Of course, four of Michelle Duggar's daughters are old enough to act as surrogate mothers. One of them does all the packing for trips. Another does most of the cooking. She has enough back up it's possible Michelle hasn't seen some of the littlest Duggars since she gave birth to them. My husband and I pay for babysitters and our village has a population deficit. We pretty much fend for ourselves.

3) Jim Bob Duggar loves his woman. There's a reason Jim Bob and Michelle have nineteen kids. He is hot for his lady. It's refreshing to see a couple on television, with kids who like each other let alone love each other and have sex. I can relate to this because my husband refers to me as his "red hot smokin' wife" whether I am wearing sweatpants or lingerie.

**Watching Jim Bob kiss on Michelle and make borderline inappropriate comments on their sex life in front of their kids is the equivalent of watching your parents do it.



4) There is no sarcasm in the Duggar household. The teenagers don't roll their eyes. They are utterly sincere. The daughters involved in courtships are excited about waiting to kiss until they are on the altar and actually like double dating with their parents. 

**They double date with their parents.







5) I look forward to the episode when one or more of the Duggar kids comes out. Will Michelle and Jim Bob accept their homosexuality?

**Let's face it, there are nineteen kids. Odds are one or two of them are gay. (I'm pretty sure I know which ones.) Will they have a courtship with a member of the same sex? Will they get a spin off reality show of their very own? Oh the potential.

I truly believe the five reasons I cited but I just can't resist adding the snark. That's why I need a little dose of Duggar. They brighten my dark, dark heart and my day.